CQUniversity Unit Profile.

THE TASK

Research the meaning-making process/es that young children use to communicate about the world through the arts/digital technology. In doing so, consider the implications of young children having access to and using ICTs in their everyday life and the responsibility that we have as teachers to ensure the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICTs.

PART A APPLICATION OF RESEARCH

Use your analysis of this research to demonstrate your application of meaning-making processes by:

• planning a learning experience for a specific age group involving a sequence of activities in one or more Arts areas in response to the theme of identity. Include relevant resources; children's use of ICTs must be included in at least one learning activity.

PART B REFLECTIVE EVALUATION

Refer to unit literature and theory to evaluate your learning and planning of the learning experience by:

• justifying how your application of meaning-making processes is reflected in contemporary policy texts (EYLF and Australian Curriculum) used by teachers in early childhood contexts (birth – 8 years);
• explicating the pedagogical guidance afforded to teachers in the EYLF and Australian Curriculum;
• outlining the pedagogical implications for teachers, drawing on your understanding of the meaning-making process that children use.
• identifying potential issues in relation to the planned use of ICTs to support the learning and teaching of young children as they engage with technology.
• identifying and reflecting on implications for your ongoing learning about the meaning-making process to improve your teaching practice;
• considering why ongoing learning about the meaning-making process of young children is important and specifically where you might access such learning to improve practice.

Weighting 40%

Please note the following details:

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)

Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI is as follows:

•  Gen AI content can be used to generate ideas for learning activities; acknowledgement is required.

Word count and presentation:

As a guideline, the length of your response should be between 2000 and 3000 words, excluding references and titles – submissions that are substantially longer than this (over 3000 words) or shorter than this (less than 2000 words) are unlikely to score as highly as those that make the best use of the targeted word count (being on-target and making the best use of the word allocation is always better than being off-message).

The text should be word-processed, with an appropriate layout and use of headings/sub-headings. 

Diagrams and images should be used to illustrate specific aspects or indicate resources (please ensure that you correctly cite/reference all sources of diagrams/images used; if they are original and composed by you, this also needs to be acknowledged – this is an important aspect of academic integrity).

Please avoid images with very large file sizes, as this will make your work too large to upload/download (save any images as clear jpegs at 72 dpi – up to 2MB)

Learning Outcomes Assessed

1. Research meaning-making processes that children use to communicate about the world and explicate pedagogical implications for teachers

2. Analyse curriculum documents to identify the guidance provided about pedagogy and also to identify the implications for your ongoing learning about the meaning-making process

6. Critically reflect on potential issues about the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT to support the learning and teaching of young children. As teachers, you are required to continue to engage in professional learning (APST 6). 

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers Practised/Assessed in this task: 1.2, 2.1, 2.5, 2.6, 4.1, 4.5, 6.2, 6.4

72-Hour Extension
The 72-Hour grace period applies to this assessment 
If you need longer than 72 hours, you'll still need to use the normal Assessment Extension System process.

• Research and synthesis of relevant literature on the meaning-making processes used by young children
• Identification of how research on the meaning-making processes used by young children is evident in policy texts (EYLF and the Australian Curriculum)
• Analysis of contemporary policy text identifying guidance pertaining to pedagogy for supporting the meaning-making processes of young children
• Identification of the potential issues for the use of ICTs and the proffering of suggestions for the safe use of ICTs
• Articulation of the implications for your ongoing learning about the meaning-making process to improve teaching practice
• Effective, scholarly and professional communication in accordance with accepted academic conventions APA 7th

THE TASK

Design and create three provocation spaces that provoke children's exploration, enabling them to respond in multiple ways using various Arts media and technologies. The spaces must ensure the inclusive participation of all children.

• The careful design of the provocation space needs to be created with attention to aesthetics, and at least one space must predominantly draw on natural materials.
• For at least one space, the focus on making and or responding must be linked to the ICT General Capability in the Arts. You may decide to create a provocation space that is located in the outdoor environment.
• You might draw inspiration for the provocation space from images in texts (including literature), nature, the work of artists, techniques used by illustrators (such as collage), experiences that children might have had (that is, connected to the lives of children) and so on.
• Also important in your design is the consideration of ensuring that the provocation space reflects what you know about young children, their strengths, needs and interests and how you predict they may respond.

Thus, there will be a provocation space for:

• Birth to 3
• Kindy – prior to school
• Foundation to year 2

For each space, you are required to:

• create a web of possibilities for learning
• articulate how knowledge and understanding of children’s development, strengths, needs and interests are reflected in the design of the space
• articulate how you will support/scaffold the children’s engagement with the provocation space. This means that you need to articulate the pedagogical choices that you might make. This might occur via playful interactions with the children, the language you introduce, and the techniques you support children in selecting. For example, you might extend the language of colour, line, shape, framing, composition, etc.
• explicitly identify how the web of possibilities for learning afforded to children links to the relevant learning framework (EYLF) or to the Australian Curriculum and also contributes to addressing the Arts specific General Capabilities, particularly with creativity, literacy, numeracy and ICTs.
• ensure that the provocation space you designed with a focus on making and or responding attends to how children might be afforded opportunities to experiment with ICT as a creative tool to generate simple solutions, investigate ideas and creatively represent thinking;
• demonstrate a broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support the participation and learning of students with disability.

Weighting 60%

Please note the following details:

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)

Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI is as follows:

• Gen AI content can be used to generate ideas for provocation spaces; acknowledgement is required.

Word Count

As a guideline, the length of your response should be the equivalent of 3500 words, excluding references and titles – submissions that are substantially longer than this (over 4500 words) or shorter than this (less than 2500 words) are unlikely to score as highly as those that make the best use of the targeted word count (being on-target and making the best use of the word allocation is always better than being off-message).

The text should be word-processed, with an appropriate layout and use of headings/sub-headings. Diagrams and images should be used to illustrate outcomes of making (please ensure that you correctly cite/reference all sources of diagrams/images used; if they are original and composed by you this also needs to be acknowledged – this is an important aspect of academic integrity).

Please avoid images with very large file sizes, as this will make your work too large to upload/download (save any images as clear jpegs at 72 dpi – up to 2MB).

Learning Outcomes Assessed

3. Design provocation spaces that invite children’s engagement and provide opportunities for them to respond in multiple ways and enable inclusive student participation and engagement.

4. Articulate how knowledge and understanding of children’s development, strengths, needs and interests are reflected in design spaces and the possibilities for learning afforded to children

5. Synthesise how the web of possibilities, including pedagogical choices, contributes to addressing the general capabilities in the Australian Curriculum and the learning outcomes in the Early Years Learning Framework, particularly in relation to literacy and numeracy and ICTs

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers Practised/Assessed in this task: 1.1, 1.6, 2.1, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.3, 4.

72-Hour Extension
The 72-Hour grace period applies to this assessment 
If you need longer than 72 hours, you'll still need to use the normal Assessment Extension System process.

• Design and creation of provocation spaces that pay attention to aesthetics and enable children to respond in multiple ways using arts media and technologies

• Design and creation of provocation spaces that enable inclusive student participation and engagement

• Design and creation of provocation spaces that contribute to addressing the Arts specific General Capabilities, particularly in relation to literacy, numeracy and ICTs

• Explication of how knowledge and understanding of children’s development, strengths, needs and interests are reflected in the design of the space

• Articulation of how pedagogical choices contribute to addressing the general capabilities in the Australian Curriculum and the learning outcomes in the Early Years Learning Framework

• Design considers opportunities to experiment with ICT as a creative tool to generate simple solutions, investigate ideas and represent thinking

• Effective, scholarly and professional communication in accordance with accepted academic conventions APA 7th,